5 days ago
Former Antrim boss hoping native Meath show steel to conquer Donegal and book All-Ireland Final slot
McEntee stepped aside from the Saffrons recently, yet his passion for football remains as great as ever with his focus firmly fixed on the Royal County's mission on Sunday.
The fact that Meath have beaten Galway, Kerry and Dublin en route to the last-four of the All-Ireland Championship has underlined their rampant desire to reach the All-Ireland Final.
'I believe that Donegal will be a rather different proposition to what they were in their last outing,' pronounces McEntee.
'They will bring an awful lot of pace to the table, their defenders do a lot of damage coming forward and I think this will make for a contrasting contest altogether.
'When you look at players such as Peader Mogan and Ciaran Moore, you see the ultimate speed merchants.
'But we are well aware, too, that players in our side like Ruairi Kinsella, Jordan Morris, Eoghan Frayne and Matthew Costello are more than capable of landing two-pointers.
'But the important thing is that Meath must stick at it. There is no doubt that when Donegal get a run at you, they can definitely hurt you.'
With football fever rampant once again in Meath, the sense of anticipation in advance of the match is almost overpowering.
'There is tremendous enthusiasm no matter where you go in Meath just now and the people are just loving it,' smiles McEntee.
'You can almost feel the mood around the place. Both teams will be giving it everything, and I think this will make for a cracking tie.'
He acknowledges that Donegal will be in peak condition and will be extra keen to create a big impact at Croke Park.
'Donegal certainly have plenty of experience both in defence and attack and they will be very strongly motivated,' stresses McEntee.
'They will be keen to get into their stride and this could ask big questions of Meath. It will be important for us to make the most of our scoring chances.'
They may have lost to Louth in the Leinster Senior Football Final, but since then, Meath have been bolstering their status on the All-Ireland stage and are now relishing the prospect of confronting Jim McGuinness' men.
They will certainly be put to the test by a Donegal side that is well served by Michael Langan and Matthew Thompson at midfield, while Mogan and Brendan McCole are defensive anchors with Daire O Baoill, Michael Murphy, Patrick McBrearty and Oisin Gallen free-scoring forwards.
Yet McEntee believes that the Meath side can also make an impact on the scoreboard.
'We feel we have excellent finishers and they will certainly put Donegal under pressure,' adds McEntee.
'There is no doubt that both teams are accomplished in playing attacking football and this should make for a fascinating contest.'
